The GOOD, the BAD, and the UGLY

…tonight. On this 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream Speech” another stride is being made that is changing the face of American politics. Barak Obama, 47, accepted the Democratic nomination as the party’s candidate for president, becoming the youngest, as well as the first black man to be nominated in the 232 year history of these United States of America. I sat and watched his acceptance speech, as I’ve sat and watch Hillary’s, Bill’s, and Mr. Biden’s this week and was quite moved by the united front that they all presented. I was almost moved to tears as I watched Hillary gracefully ask her supporters to stand with her in support of Barak. Despite the intensity of their campaigns against each during the nomination process, Hillary proved herself to be the strong woman that we’ve come to and embrace before all of this began. Although former President Clinton’s speech was exceptional in it’s own right. It was his wife, Hillary, who united this democratic party and a huge debt of gratitude is indeed owed to Mrs. Clinton. Sadly, I missed his wife’s, Michelle, speech. But I’m sure it was just as fitting as the others.

Barak gave an eloquent speech as well, that held his dignified character in tact as he ran down a list of why America can’t stand another 4 more years of the same old thing that we’ve been getting under the Bush administration. Before I was unsure about his readiness to lead our country, but yet I stood firm in my belief that change is needed. Mr. Obama has a vision that would put America in a position of total self-sufficiency, which is the way it should be for a country that’s known to be the superpower of the world. He has a vision that will allow all children access to a quality education and healthcare. A vision that would call for equal pay for equal work for women. A vision for renewable resources in our own country. Visions of a self-sufficient America. These visions are ones that I can support. A change is needed in America. Whether or not the rest of America is ready for the change in the form of Barak Obama, a man whose pedigree is not what Americans are used to seeing lead our nation, is a question that will be answered in the months to come. Regardless of the outcome, I’m proud of the fact that history was made today.

During our staff development today, my principal made this comment regarding the parents of the students at our school. For the last couple of years, discipline has been a major issue at our school. We got a new principal two years ago, and things just seemed to go down hill when she got there. It really time for our VP to go home because he doesn’t do anything to assist in managing the kids. And I’m not talking about the normal student who disrupts the class. I’m talking about kids who have not respect for authority – they don’t listen to their parents, so they could really care less what teachers say. I’m talking about kids who don’t expect anything out of life because their parents don’t give them anything to hope for. I’m talking about kids who think the whole world is just like the tiny impoverished neighborhood they live in because they have no life experiences outside of it. I’m talking about kids who can’t focus at school because they didn’t get to eat the night before or couldn’t sleep because music was blasting while mama entertained in the other room. I’m talking about kids who don’t know how to care about themselves, let alone anyone else, because everyone who should’ve cared for them all along has failed them.

But yet, I have to teach these kids. One of the reasons that I was dreading going back to work was because I know the kids that I’m going back to. I had plenty of opportunities to see them in action last year. I got to see them crawling on the lunchroom floor, smearing feces on the restroom walls, trashing teachers’ classrooms, spray painting the VP’s office wall. And that’s not the half of it. Seon keeps asking me why do I continue to go back. Why don’t I apply at another school. But if I do that, I will feel like I’ve turned my back on my own. Like I failed…them and myself. “They don’t keep their best ones at home.” I have to find a way to get through to them.

Well, much to my dismay, my summer is over. I officially reported back to work today. After a long night of insomnia, so I’ve been awake for 22 hours (I think) now, I had to sit in boring workshops listening to boring speakers talk about boring stuff that I’ve heard a thousand times. Aaahhhhhh!! I was so not ready for this. I was enjoying sitting in the comfort of my four walls, in my jammies, doing nothing ALL DAY LONG. Now, Seon on the other hand, is quite excited about all of this. He’d started to get jealous of my sleeping in while he’s been getting up at 5:30 every morning for work. Not my fault he chose the wrong profession. But alas, I must go forth into the jungle of rambunctious, doe-eyed seven and eight year olds who will be looking to me for guidance and direction. And I will do my best to impart some knowledge into them, while hoping to build some character as well. Wish me luck!

Since school will be starting in a couple of weeks, I’ve begun my online shopping search. Since I’ve started to try to be more eco-friendly, I’ve been looking at some green things for back to school. Here’s some cool lunch gear that I found. No trash to go in the landfills and no plastics. Good for us and the environment. What more can I ask for?

Kyndal has had his “Lighting Keen Cup” (oh yeah, that’s Kyndalese for Lightning McQueen Cup) for some time. When I think about it, he’s actually had it over half of his life. He loves his “Lighting Keen Cup” and just won’t part with it. He wants to drink out of it every single time he has a drink. (So glad he has more than one!) I’ve tried to get him interested in a “big boy” cup, but he’s not having it. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that he can take his cup into the family room and I don’t have to worry about carpet stains or anything. I do worry sometimes the effect that it’s having on his teeth, but they look fine, so I don’t stress. Some kiddos have blankies and binkies. My lil’ munchkin has his “Lighting Keen Cup”. Now if he’s still attached by the time he gets to kindergarten, then we might have a problem.

As the summer draws to an end, my mood has started to take a nosedive. I’m so not ready for my long days of doing nothing to end. But just because my psyche is plummeting, the hot, Texas heat is not following suit. So here’s one to cool you off as these last days of summer wither away.

The refreshing, non-alcoholic cocktail also has some health benefits. (I can’t say the same about the alcoholic version for sure…) Pomegrantes are loaded with healthy antioxidants. *They are a good source for vitamin C and potassium. Juice of the pomegranate has been found effective in reducing heart disease risk factors. Pomegranate has also been shown to reduce cholesterol and systolic blood pressure. It has also been proven to reduce stress triggers and as having antibacterial effects against dental plaque. While the fruit is available during the summer (normally available from September to January in the Northern Hemisphere and March to May in the Southern Hemisphere), it’s juice is and it makes for some great cocktails. So drink up.

In a pitcher add orange, lime, apple and cover with red wine, rum, orange liqueur, orange juice, pomegranate juice and stir in sugar. Chill in the refrigerator for about 3 hours. When ready to serve top off with club soda, to taste. Enjoy!

You can add any fruits and berries that you wish. Try strawberries, pineapples, and mangos. Yummy!

My lil’ helper and I baked a sweet potato pie to top off our dinner today. I was quite impressed with my handy work since the pie, including the delicate, flaky crust, was homemade! By me! Well, and my lil’ helper of course. Kyndal loves to help me cook. So much so that he knows what ingredients we need for certain things, say his favorite…PANCAKES…and he will grab what he can reach while I get everything else. Maybe he will be our culinary wonder one day. Isn’t my lil’ helper a cutie?

Anyway, here is the pie that we baked. It was pretty good, I mean I’ve made sweet potato pie many times. But this was my first time making my own crust from scratch. The pie is much thicker than I prefer, but I didn’t make enough dough for two pie shells, so I had to use my deep pie dish. The crust is nice and flaky, even though the edges did get darker than I’d have liked. This was mainly due to the fact that I had to let the pie bake a little longer in order for the center to set completely. But all in all, it wasn’t bad. Seon said it tasted good, although he would have preferred it not as thick as well. Here’s a photo of the end result.

Dinner was rather tasty as well. Here’s a peak at our meal as well, which consisted of grilled pork chops, cream cheese potatoes, and corn on the cob. The pie topped our dinner off perfectly.